Rana (Paa) barmoachensis Khan & Tasnim, 1989

Alain DUBOIS, 2023, Is it still acceptable to describe a taxon or synonymise a nomen without molecular data? The Rana (Paa) barmoachensis case (Dicroglossidae, Painae), Alytes 39 - 40, pp. 160-184 : 165-167

Rana (Paa) barmoachensis Khan & Tasnim, 1989 ( Figures 1‒2 )

USNM 257534 , adult male, collected on 14 August 1987 by M. S. Khan, in a shallow pool of clear water in the bed of a small torrent running through the village of Barmoach ( Goi Madan , Kotli District, Azad Kashmir; 33°30’N, 74°00’E; elevation 1483 m) .

(A) Size and general aspect. (1) Specimen of moderate size (SVL 59.0), body stout.

(B) Head. (2) Head of moderate size, as long (HL 22.5) as wide (HW 22.5; MN 18.1; MFE 14.8; MBE 9.4), convex. (3) Snout rounded, slightly protruding, its length (SL 9.3) longer than horizontal diameter of eye (EL 7.0). (4) Canthus rostralis rounded, loreal region concave, obtuse in cross section. (5) Interorbital space flat, smaller (IUE 3.55) than upper eyelid (UEW 5.92) and internarial distance (IN 5.3). (6) Distance between front of eyes (IFE 10.1) slightly less than two thirds of distance between back of eyes (IBE 17.0). (7) Nostrils closer to eye (EN 3.76) than to tip of snout (NS 5.26). (8) Pupil indistinct. (9) Tympanum (TYD 3.63) distinct, oval, oblique. (10) Tympanum-eye distance (TYE 4.28) 1.2 times its diameter. (11) Pineal ocellus absent. (12) Vomerine ridges present, bearing few, rather large teeth (n = 4), between choanae, almost perpendicular to body axis, closer to each other than to choanae, longer than distance between them. (13) Tongue large, cordate, emarginated.

(C) Forelimbs. (14) Arm short (FLL 13.5), rather thin, shorter than hand (HAL 14.1), not enlarged. (15) Fingers short, rather thin (TFL 8.7). (16) Relative length of fingers, shortest to longest: II <I <IV <III. (17) Tips of fingers rounded, not enlarged, without discs. (18) Fingers II, III and IV with dermal fringes, reduced to a distinct crest on IV; webbing absent. (19) Subarticular tubercles large, prominent, oval, single; terminal tubercles of fingers III and IV absent. (20) Prepollex oval, very prominent; one flat, oval, distinct external palmar tubercle, median tubercle indistinct; supernumerary tubercles absent.

(D) Hindlimbs. (21) Shank three times longer (TL 29.8) than wide (TW 11.5), shorter than thigh (FL 31.9) but longer than distance from base of internal metatarsal tubercle to tip of toe IV (FOL 28.7). (22) Toes rather short and thin; toe IV (FTL 16.4) more than one third of distance from base of tarsus to tip of toe IV (TFOL 41.0). (23) Relative length of toes, shortest to longest: I <II <V <III <IV. (24) Tips of toes rounded, enlarged, without discs. (25) Webbing complete: I 0 – 0 II 0 – 0 III 0 – 0 IV 0 – 0 V (WTF 10.9; WFF 10.4; WI 9.3; WII 9.3). (26) Dermal fringe along toe V welldeveloped, from tip of toe to mid-metatarsus. (27) Subarticular tubercles prominent, oval, simple. (28) Inner metatarsal tubercle moderately long, prominent; its length (IMT 3.76) 2.31 times in length of toe I (ITL 8.70). (29) No tarsal ridge. (30) No outer metatarsal tubercle; no supernumerary tubercles; no tarsal tubercle.

(E) Skin. (31) Dorsal and lateral parts of head and dorsal part of back smooth with horny spinules; flanks with foldings and horny spinules. (32) Dorsolateral folds absent; lateral line system absent; Fejervaryan line absent; supratympanic fold distinct, from eye to above shoulder; cephalic ridges absent; co-ossified skin absent. (33) Dorsal surfaces of limbs smooth with horny spinules. (34) Ventral surfaces of head, chest and limbs smooth; belly with transversal foldings. (35) macroglands absent.

(F) Coloration in alcohol. (36) Dorsal and lateral surfaces of head and body: brown with dark brown rounded spots; upper part of flank like back, lower part light grayish brown; loreal and tympanic region brown with dark brown line under canthus rostralis and tympanic fold; tympanum and upper lip brown. (37) Dorsal surfaces of limbs: brown with two darkerbands on forearm and five on thigh, leg and foot; posterior part of thigh light grayish brown with small roundish dark brown dots. (38) Ventral surfaces of throat, margin of throat and chest light grayish brown; vocal sacs indistinct; belly and thighs whitish; webbing grayish brown.

(G) Male secondary sex characters. (39) Large sized, light brown nuptial spines present on prepollex and finger I, forming two separate pads. Table 1 gives the numbers of spines in these places on both hands. (40) Forearms not enlarged. (41) Vocal indistinct on throat, pair, slit-like openings posterior on mouth floor.

Figures

Figure 1. Allopaa hazarensis (Dubois & Khan, 1980): (a‒b) MNHN 1978.3056, adult male, holotype of Rana (Paa) hazarensis Dubois & Khan, 1980, whole body in (a) dorsal view and (b) ventral view; (c‒d) USNN 257534, adult male, holotype of Rana (Paa) barmoachensis Khan & Tasnim, 1989, whole body in (c) dorsal view and (d) ventral view.

Figure 2. Allopaa hazarensis (Dubois & Khan, 1980): heads in right lateral view of (a) MNHN 1978.3056, adult male, holotype of Rana (Paa) hazarensis Dubois & Khan, 1980; (b) MNHN 1978.3067, adult male, paratype of Rana (Paa) hazarensis Dubois & Khan, 1980; (c) USNM 257534, adult male, holotype of Rana (Paa) barmoachensis Khan & Tasnim, 1989; (d) BMNH 1990.1705, adult female, paratype of Rana (Paa) barmoachensis Khan & Tasnim, 1989.